William dale harris



(N0 Model.)

W. D. HARRIS.

ROOPED GULVERT.

No. 445,994. Patented Feb. 10, 1891.

I In veezfor' me nonms warms co, movmuwo WASNINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM DALE HARRIS, OF OTTA\VA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ROOFED CULVERT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,994, dated February10, 1891. Application filed November 18, 1890. Serial No. 371,802. (Nomodel.) Patented in Canada December 2, 1889, No. 32,981.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DALE HARRIS, a citizen of the Dominion ofCanada, residing at Ottawa, in the Province of Ontario, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Roofedflulverts for Railroad andother Embankments, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Canada,dated December 2, 1889, No. 32,981,) and I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to roofed culverts de signed to be constructedthrough railroad and other embankments for the passage of water; and ithas for its object, among other things, to provide a constructionentailing but a comparatively small expense and embodying the essentialelements of strength and durability, whereby danger to passing trainsarising from a collapse of the culvert is obviated.

Heretofore in the construction of culverts, whether of Wood or stone,the work is begun at the bottom and built up in horizontal courses orsections toward the top. The collapse of such a construction arisingfrom heavy freshets of water invariably begins with the bottom orfoundation courses or sections. The fracture is communicated to thesucceeding upper course, which in turn giving away communicates it tothose above, and the courses fall and block the channel of the water,causing the water to rise and wash out the wrecked culvert andsuperincumbent embankment and create a chasm in the path of passingtrains.

A culvert constructed in horizontal courses, as described, is adapted toresist stresses of compression alone, leaving those of tension andtorsion unprovided for, and it will therefore be seen that when such astructure is suddenly subjected to the latter forces by the washing outof a portion of its foundation it immediately collapses. My improvedconstruction renders such accidents impossible, inasmuch as it consistsin the employment of vertical courses or sections instead of horizontal,whereby the culvert is begun at one end and built toward the other end,each vertical course or section constituting a complete culvert or archin itself, capable of resisting stresses of tension and torsion, as wellas of compression, and together forming a culvert as one of one piece,flexible throughout its entire course in the three directions of length,breadth, and depth, and capable of resisting strain from below, above,and from either side.

My improvements will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 isa side elevation of a portion of my improved culvert,illustrating one endof the same. Fig. 2 is a vertical transversesectional view taken on line as on of Fig. 1, illustrating one of thevertical sections of courses composing the culvert. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of a vertical section or course composed of wood.

In carrying out my invention I do not desire to confine myself to anyspecific form of foundation for my improved culvert nor to anyparticular devices for bracing and anchoring the same, as such will bevaried to suit the situation and character of the embankment in whichthe culvert is constructed.

In the construction of my improvem cuts the main portion A of theculvert is formed with vertical side walls and a gable roof. Therespective ends of the culvert are preferably constructed as illustratedin Fig. 1, being formed of side sections of gradually-increasing height,the higher of which are providedwith a portion of roof which graduallyincreases in length and merges into the complete side walls and roof ofthe culvert, and by this construction it will be seen that the ends ofthe culvert are made flush with the inclined sides of the embankment;but I do not desire to confine myself to this construction of the ends,as the culvert may be built out entire, if desired, and may be continuedany desired distance outside the embank ment.

The vertical courses or sections D, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, maybe constructed of wood or metal, and they consist of the vertioal sidewalls and the gable roof, which, as is obvious, is best adapted toWithstand the weight of earth upon the culvert.

\Vhere metal is employed in the construc tion of the vertical courses orsections, I prefer toemploy railway-rails, old or new, as

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their use desirable, as will presently appear.

In forming a section, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the rail is bent intothe form shown, with the T portion thereof on the outside, and it Willbe seen that when the sections or courses are fastened together, as willbe presently de scribed, the T portions of the rail will forma keybetween which to lock the concrete, with Which the outer side walls andtop of the culvert is covered.

In forming the sections of wood the vertical and top Walls thereof arescarfed together, as better illustrated in Fig. 3, and by reason of thepeculiar construction of the culvert and the placement of the timbers ofthe sections the said timbers are kept permanently and uniformly damp.

In building the culvert, after the necessary excavation and foundationhave been made, the metal, railway-rail, or wood sections are placed intheir proper positions and are fastened together in such positions bylongitudinal bars E, which, taking through their side walls adjacent tothe bottom and top thereof, are bolted together by nuts and screws, andthese longitudinal bars E have their ends suitably finished withthreaded ends by which the vertical sections may be drawn tight togetherand preserved from displacement. The side walls are suitably anchoredback by iron stays or buttressed by crib or stone buttresses, as thecase may be.

Then the ends of the culvert are formed to come flush with the inclinedsides of the embankment, the lower longitudinal fastening-bars arecontinued through the short side walls, and are suitably fastened toprevent movement. In certain cases a longitudinal iron tie-bar runs theentire length of the culvert just under the apex, suspended from theroof and tying the whole structure together at the gable.

hen railway-rails are employed in the construction of the sections orcourses, I prefer to make the apertures for the passage of thelongitudinal bars through the web of the T portion of said rails. Afterthe vertical sections have been placed in position and securely boltedtogether and suitably braced and anchored, the outside thereof iscovered wit h a suitable concrete and the inside tarred or otherwiseprotected to prevent corrosion of the material.

By constructing the culvert of aggregate courses or sections suitablybound together it will be seen that I providea flexible metallie ortimber passage which, when placed upon a suitable foundation andproperly braced and anchored, constitutes a culvert capable of resistingstress of compression, tension, and torsion.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A course or sectionof aculvert composed of a railway-rail iron, bent, as described, so asto form vertical sides and a gable top, substantially as specified.

2. A culvert composed of vertical sections, each formed of a singlepiece of material havin g parallel vertical sides and a gable orslanting top, substantially as specified.

3. A culvert composed of a series of vertical courses or sections boltedtogether and having an external covering of concrete and an interiorcoating oftar, substantially as specified.

4:. A culvert composed ofaseries of vertical courses or sections formedso as to provide external key-seats and having vertical sides.

and a gable top and a covering of concrete, substantially as specified.

5. In a culvert, the combination, with aseries of courses or sectionshaving side walls and a gable roof, of longitudinal bars taking throughthe side walls of said sections and underneath the apex of said roof andadapted to fasten them together, and anchor-bars or buttresses takingthrough or built behind the side walls and serving to anchor or staysaid side walls, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM DALE HARRIS.

Witnesses:

J. A. GEMMILL, A. F. MAY.

